16 USC 431-433 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That any person who
shall appropriate, excavate, injure, or destroy any historic or prehistoric
ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity, situated on lands owned or
controlled by the Government of the United States, without the permission of
the Secretary of the Department of the Government having jurisdiction over
the lands on which said antiquities are situated, shall, upon conviction, be
fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for a
period of not more than ninety days, or shall suffer both fine and
imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.

Sec. 2. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his
discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic
and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific
interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the
Government of the United States to be national monuments, and may reserve as
a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall be
confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of
the objects to be protected: Provided, That when such objects are situated
upon a tract covered by a bona-fied unperfected claim or held in private
ownership, the tract, or so much thereof as may be necessary for the proper
care and management of the object, may be relinquished to the Government,
and the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to accept the
relinquishment of such tracts in behalf of the Government of the United
States.

Sec. 3. That permits for the examination of ruins, the excavation of
archaeological sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity upon the
lands under their respective jurisdictions may be granted by the Secretaries
of the Interior, Agriculture, and War to institutions which the may deem
properly qualified to conduct such examination, excavation, or gathering,
subject to such rules and regulation as they may prescribe: Provided, That
the examinations, excavations, and gatherings are undertaken for the benefit
of reputable museums, universities, colleges, or other recognized scientific
or educational institutions, with a view to increasing the knowledge of such
objects, and that the gatherings shall be made for permanent preservation in
public museums.

Sec. 4. That the Secretaries of the Departments aforesaid shall make and
publish from time to time uniform rules and regulations for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this Act. Approved, June 8, 1906